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BBB reminder: Check charities before donating for typhoon relief

Allison Sylte, KSDK
10:54 a.m. CST November 11, 2013

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - NOVEMBER 09: Bureau of Fire Protection volunteers pack relief goods bound for hard-hit areas of the southern Philippines at a government warehouse on November 9, 2013 in Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan, packing maximum sustained winds of 195 mph (315 kph), slammed into the southern Philippines and left a trail of destruction in multiple provinces, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate and making travel by air and land to hard-hit provinces difficult. Initial reports say at least 100 people are feared dead in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. (Photo by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images)(Photo: Dondi Tawatao Getty Images)

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) – Thinking of opening your checkbook to help typhoon victims? Follow these pieces of advice to make sure that your money actually goes to relief efforts.

Rely on respected experts to evaluate a charity.

Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers, because they may not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. BBB Charity Reviews show which charities are accredited by BBB and whether they meet BBB's 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations assist victims. All charities have fund-raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee.

Be cautious when giving online to unfamiliar charities. Be wary of spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. After the tsunami disaster in 2004 and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, many websites and organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims turned out to be scams.

Find out if the charity has a presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers into the area to provide assistance. Check the charity's website, which should clearly describe what the charity can do to address immediate needs.

Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. You may want to avoid the middleman and give directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Check out the ultimate recipients of the donations to ensure that the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.

Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations may not be appropriate. Unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid, the donations may be more of a burden than a help. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief.

For more information about charities or to get a BBB Charity Review, check with BBB at www.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300.